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A BIG cat may be on the prowl in Worcestershire after two men claimed to have spotted a panther-like creature while walking their dogs.

The men went to investigate but the cat got up, jumped into the undergrowth and disappeared.

The pair spotted the creature as they walked their two whippets and terrier close to the near Bromyard Road, outside Worcester.

“It was definitely a cat but not a domestic one, it was huge, it was bigger than our dogs, perhaps the size of an alsatian”, said one of the men.

“It was jet black and had a tail that was curled up.

“It looked at us, its ears pricked up and it jumped back into the undergrowth.

“It was really chunky and definitely had cat features. It was too agile and quick to be anything other than a cat.”

Bob Lawrence, director of wildlife at West Midland Safari Park, Bewdley, said: “It is possible there may be one or two of these animals around.

“But with the law of averages there would be a picture somewhere. Where is the evidence?”

It is not the first time that big cats have been spotted in Worcester and the surrounding area.

In 2006, a survey compiled by the British Big Cats Society showed there were 48 sightings in Herefordshire and Worcestershire between April 2004 and July 2005, making the county a hotspot for mystery sightings.